Second Chance
by JP McClendon
Summary: A Jedi who survived Order 66 is now a Master at Luke Skywalker's new Jedi Academy. But when he and his Padawans discover something that could change history and prevent the Great Jedi Purge, will they risk everything to right a great wrong? New Jedi Order era. WIP. Please R&R!
1. Prologue: Fall of the Jedi Temple

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Star Wars universe, Disney does. They also own all the Characters and Worlds contained therein. The characters created by me for this story are all that I own.

 _"Regret for the past and dreams of the future often cloud the eyes to the fact that you are in the present. What is in the past cannot be changed. What is in the future cannot be known. Accept your present, for that is where you truly are."_

 **Prologue: Fall of the Jedi Temple**

Night had come to Coruscant. An unsettling chill washed over the city and many citizens, both honest and disreputable, found themselves getting off the streets for fear of getting caught up in what was about to unfold.

Republic Clone Troopers, lead by Anakin Skywalker, marched with purpose towards the Jedi Temple. The doors opened for them and the senseless slaughter began. At first the Jedi present in the Temple didn't know what to make of the attack, but soon began to fight back in a futile effort to prevent their own downfall. To make matters worse, one of their own was purposely aiding the Clone Troopers in the attack. None in the Temple could understand why this was taking place, and why none, not even the younglings, were being spared.

In the midst of the fighting, a young Padawan named Darriah Marrin was holding back in a corridor away from the fighting, protecting about a dozen younglings. The Clone Troopers hadn't come this way yet, and Darriah didn't know what to do. He felt he should be out amongst the rest of the Jedi, fighting to save the Temple, but at the same time he knew that the younglings who were with him would be helpless if he left their side. He was torn.

Suddenly, right in front of him, a Correllian Jedi, obvious by her green Jedi attire, made her presence known to him. She looked barely older than him, and looked like she was barely keeping herself calm. Oddly, Darriah didn't recognize her, and given her apparent age, he felt that he should have. "Mas…I mean Darriah," she began with a stammer. "You have to get out of here. The Temple is going to fall. Get out of here and take as many of the younglings with you as you can."

Darriah opened his mouth as if to protest the order he was being given by this unknown Jedi, but was cut off when the Correllian Jedi continued to speak. "Don't argue with me!" she ordered, trying to not sound curt. "The younglings need someone to protect them. They are your responsibility now. Don't let them or us down."

"Yes," said Darriah. It was all he could muster.

"You must live," said the Correllian Jedi. "Remember. Never forget."

Darriah nodded and collected the younglings who were already with him and moved off to head to one of the secret exits, hoping to pick up more younglings along the way. As he moved off, the Correllian Jedi just watched him go. "May the Force be with you, Master," she said to him, though he was too far away from her now to hear her. "Forgive us for failing you."

Wiping tears from her eyes, the Correllian Jedi turned back towards the fighting, ignited her lightsaber, which glowed with a vibrant silver blade, and rejoined the Jedi who were still fighting for their lives, and the existence of the entire Jedi Order.

 **To be continued...**


	2. Dawn of a New Order

**Dawn of a New Order**

Darriah lived that day, and with him several dozen Apprentice younglings. He got himself and the younglings on a transport in the hangar area of the Temple and managed to reach Bail Organa's residence a short distance away. After telling him what had occurred at the Temple, they were quickly hidden away on the Ambassador's private ship, the _Tantive_ IV, and were safe at last. As soon as was possible, they were all taken in secrecy to Bail's home world of Alderaan. From there, the he used his considerable influence and connections to find a place for many of these refugee Jedi to live. Darriah himself was hidden on Dantooine with a loving farmer and his family. On Dantooine, Darriah found an uneasy peace. Sadly, most of the younglings whom he had saved remained on Alderaan, and died with Bail when the planet was violently destroyed by the first Death Star. By that time, the recently formed Rebel Alliance had come and gone from Dantooine and Darriah had gained several contacts within their organization should he someday choose to join them in their fight. He wanted to join the Rebellion, but a desire to protect his adopted family prevented him from doing so, lest the Empire potentially take revenge upon them for his actions. The destruction of Alderaan, the death of Bail Organa, and the deaths of many of the younglings who never resettled off of Alderaan never sat well with Darriah. The younglings escaped assassination by the Sith only to die amongst countless others as part of a demonstration of the Empire's might. Bail, himself, deserved a better death as well for all that he had done. When Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star to end the Battle of Yavin, Darriah felt that justice had been done and he was instantly filled with gratitude for the future Grand Master of the revived Jedi Order. The fact that Luke bore the same last name as the Jedi who helped destroy the Jedi Order in the first place meant nothing to Darriah, as a son should not be held accountable for the actions of his father. Though Darriah didn't know it at the time, he was present aboard the _Tantive IV_ when Luke and his sister, Leia, were born. After the Battle of Yavin, Darriah felt that defeat loomed close enough for the Empire that it was safe to resume a degree of training in the Force. When Emperor Palpatine died a few years later, Darriah took the additional step of rebuilding his lightsaber, which he had dismantled shortly after coming to Dantooine. Through all of this though, Darriah felt guilt about his actions that last night at the Jedi Temple. He felt he could have, and should have, done more. He had been uncertain and afraid, and he was ashamed. If not for that Corellian Jedi telling him what to do, he likely would have perished that night along with the younglings in his charge. Though the image of her face faded over the years, he never forgot her for what she did for him. As a result, when news reached him that Luke Skywalker had rebuilt the Jedi Order, he resolved to leave Dantooine at long last to offer his assistance to the savior of the galaxy. While he had regret about leaving the planet and the family who had loved him as their own, Darriah felt that he owed a debt to the Jedi who died that night so many years ago. Once he was certain that his family would be secure without him, he packed some of his possessions, including his rebuilt lightsaber and a new set of Jedi attire that his adopted mother spent several months making for him, and bid his family a bittersweet farewell. Several weeks later, Darriah finally stood in the presence of Luke Skywalker, and his life changed again.

"Master Skywalker," said Darriah, trying to hide a degree of awe in his voice. "My name is Darriah Marrin. I was a Jedi during the time of your father, Anakin. I've come here to offer you my help with your new Jedi Order."

Luke smiled and turned his head to look at his friend, Kyle Katarn. Kyle said nothing, but simply smirked back at Luke. "I'm very grateful for your offer," said Luke at last. "But how is it that you survived the Sith's efforts to destroy the Jedi?"

"I managed to escape in a transport with a number of youngling Apprentices during the attack," began Darriah. "I had been charged with getting them to safety, which I did, thanks to Bail Organa of Alderaan. In fact, he helped hide many of us from the Empire after that night. While most of the saved Apprentices died on Alderaan with him, some of the rest of us were spread throughout the galaxy on planets that the Empire didn't bother to concern themselves with. I, myself, was hidden on Dantooine."

"He's telling the truth, Luke," said Kyle, relaxing his posture some.

"I know he is," responded Luke with a smile.

"What's your decision?" asked Kyle. "Will you accept his help?"

"Yes I will," said Luke. He then held out his hand in friendship to Darriah. "Welcome."

"Thank you, Master Luke," said Darriah as he took Luke's offered hand. "It will be my honor."

"Don't say that just yet," said Kyle, still with a smile on his face. "There's a lot of work ahead of us. You may regret those words very soon."

"Never," said Darriah.

For the next few months, Darriah studied, meditated, learned some new skills, and re-learned some old ones. He had confessed to Luke very quickly that he was still a Padawan during Anakin's time and that he didn't know as much as he really should in order to be an instructor. Luke was very understanding, and very helpful in getting Darriah's skills, powers, and discipline up to where he felt they needed to be in order for Darriah to be an effective teacher. Darriah was very grateful the entire time.

Then, one morning, Luke approached Darriah during breakfast, looked him in the eye, and said, "You're ready."

 **To be continued…**


	3. The Student Becomes the Teacher

**The Student Becomes the Teacher**

"A new class is arriving later on today," said Luke. "It's going to be bigger than the last one. Since the rest of the Masters and I already have several Apprentices and you don't have any yet, you're going to be assigned the majority of those in this new class."

"Is that wise?" inquired Darriah.

"There isn't much choice in the matter," replied Luke. "Besides, I've been watching you and monitoring your progress. You'll be able to handle the load just fine."

"I appreciate your confidence in my abilities."

"I have confidence in you."

"Thank you, Master Luke. Just so that I know, how many Apprentices will I be assigned?"

Luke let out a big sigh. "Nine," he said at last.

"Nine!" exclaimed Darriah. "Why so many?"

"Like I said before," began Luke. "The rest of the Masters and I already have several Apprentices of our own. After today, we'll have even more. In the end, we'll all be responsible for roughly the same number of Apprentices. The only difference is that all of your Apprentices will be at the same level of training as one another, while the rest of us will have Apprentices at various levels of training. In the end, your job will be easier than the rest of us. Just so that you know, I do have one more reason for all of this and it's only fair that you know what it is."

"What is that?"

"You are a Sentinel."

"I fail to see how that is relevant to this situation."

"It's very simple, really. Jedi Guardians focus their skills and talents on martial might. Jedi Consulars focus on the Force and solving matters with the Force. A Jedi Sentinel, such as yourself, is a balanced blend of the two. That makes you more suitable to train a wide variety of students than some of the other Masters here at the Praxeum."

"I see the wisdom in your logic."

"Thank you. I hoped you would. After all, I wouldn't steer you wrong."

"I know you wouldn't. I will live up to your expectations."

"I know you will. While I don't yet know the details, I sense great things from your first Apprentices. That will be largely in part to you and your teachings."

Darriah smiled despite himself. Luke's words gave him a sense of pride and confidence he hadn't felt in years. Luke smiled as well. He knew his words had had a positive effect. "Come," said Luke. "Finish your breakfast. You've got a lot ahead of you before your Apprentices arrive."

"Yes, Master Luke," replied Darriah.

Luke clasped Darriah warmly on the shoulder. "May the Force be with you!" he said.

"May the Force be with you, Master Luke," replied Darriah.

Without any further words between them, Luke walked away to tend to other matters. Darriah briefly watched him go before resuming the rest of his morning's meal. He now felt elated, and enthusiastic. They weren't emotions he was used to, but he liked the feel of them. Once he was finished eating, he cleaned up his area and moved with purpose to the interior grove of the Praxeum to meditate and center himself for his first meeting with his new Apprentices.

A few hours later, Kyle wandered into the grove looking for Darriah. "It's time," he said to the still-meditating Darriah. At first, Darriah didn't move. He was deep in his meditation and the Force was speaking to him clearer now than it had ever before. Kyle could sense this connection, and was hesitant to interrupt further, so he just stood silently, waiting for Darriah to finish.

After what was only a few minutes, but what felt like hours, Darriah finally opened his eyes. The Force had focused him. He looked at Kyle with a serene strength. Kyle looked back at him with an amused smile.

"You really are ready," he said to the older Jedi.

"I am," replied Darriah. There was a strength in his voice now.

"Come," said Kyle. "We have to join the others in greeting the new class."

Darriah stood up, stretched out some of his muscles, and moved over to join Kyle. Then together they left the grove and moved throughout the halls to meet up with Luke and the other Masters.

"Did Luke tell you anything about your new Apprentices?" asked Kyle.

"Only that I'm to be given nine of them," answered Darriah. "It certainly is a lot."

"We're all in a similar situation," began Kyle. "Given how few qualified teachers the Praxeum has at this time."

"I know," said Darriah.

"Hey!" said Kyle. "I just realized something that could be considered ironic!"

"What's that?" asked Darriah.

"You spent more time forgetting how to be a Jedi than any single one of them has even been alive," said Kyle. "What do you think about that?"

"Honestly," replied Darriah. "I find that to be quite sad."

Kyle paused for a moment. "You know," he said. "I think you're right. But I know Luke. He wouldn't have given you to them if you weren't up to the task and he wouldn't have given them to you if they weren't able to take that first step into this new life."

Darriah just nodded silently. For the rest of their walk, no further words were exchanged. At last they emerged out the front of the Praxeum where Luke and the other Masters were talking quietly amongst themselves. Kyle moved away from Darriah and walked up to one of the other Masters and began a quiet conversation of his own. Darriah just stood still, waiting. He could see the new class assembling at the bottom of the Praxeum's entrance staircase. After a few minutes, Luke motioned Darriah over to him.

"Before I address the new class," he began. "I want to discuss your new Apprentices with you."

"Of course, Master Luke," replied Darriah.

For the next few minutes, the two of them spoke quietly about Darriah's soon-to-be Apprentices.

"Very good," said Luke. "Your observations about them are spot-on."

"They are?" said Darriah surprised.

"I told you you were ready," said Luke as he turned to face the new class. "Now, let's get to work."

"Yes, Master Luke," said Darriah as he fell in behind Luke amongst the rest of the Masters.

Luke's posture changed as he looked down towards the prospective new Jedi. It was more formal and authoritative than before. "Welcome to the Jedi Praxeum!" he exclaimed to quiet the assembly down and gain their attention. "You are the newest class of students come here to learn the ways of the Jedi, and the Force! My name is Luke Skywalker! I am the Grand Master of the Praxeum here on Yavin! Each of you has come a long way to be here today! You all came from different worlds, different cultures, and different ways of life! Now, you stand the same in all things! Behind me are the Masters who will be your teachers! As there are more of you than there are of them, we are dispensing with the tradition of one Apprentice to a Master! In time, we will return to that tradition! But for now, this is how we need to do things! In just a moment, Master Kyle Katarn will call out your names! When he does so, he will also inform you as to which Master you've being assigned! May the Force be with you!"

With that, Luke stepped back and Kyle stepped forward with a datapad in his hand. Once he was out in front, he began to read the names of the new class.

 **To be continued…**


End file.
